Long-Term-Planning-support

Regional Model Analysis and Planning Programme

Long-term energy planning support

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Overview

IRENA provides regional training workshops on best practices in energy planning and grid integration of variable renewables using energy modelling tools. Programmes include:

Regional training workshops on energy planning have been held in Africa to support energy system planning in the region through the use of power system tools.

IRENA and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) have organised a training programme to introduce SPLAT-W – the System Planning Test model for the West African power system.

The trainings aimed to build and enhance capacity for long-term energy planning in ten countries in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The participants were experts from the energy planning offices at ministries, electric utilities and specialised agencies in those countries.

Phase 1 (December 2020 – October 2021):

Together with the Central African Power Pool (CAPP), IRENA has implemented a capacity building programme that has delivered over 160 hours of practical training and insights to key staff of national energy institutions in the Central Africa region on how to develop model-based national generation capacity expansion scenarios.

The trainings aimed to build and enhance capacity for long-term energy planning in seven countries of the CAPP that were able to participate: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Rwanda.

For more details on the Programme, including full agenda and materials, please see:

Phase 2 (September 2022 – July 2023):

This second phase of the programme expands upon the training of CAPP members on long-term power sector modelling, with a focus on regional application. The training includes participation of around 70 national ministry and utility planning experts from all 11 regional countries, and consists of over 65 hours or practical training. As part of the programme, a consolidated regional study will also be developed, which may be used as the basis for the region’s first power sector masterplan.

The implementation of the programme is integrated with the ongoing development of the African Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP), which is led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) and which IRENA is supporting as a modelling partner.

For more details on the phase 2 events, please see:

Building on the work of the IRENA-CAPP Regional Modelling Analysis & Planning Support Programme, IRENA has published the report Planning and prospects for renewable power: Central Africa, which performs a consolidated regional analysis of potential scenarios for long-term power sector development in Central Africa.

The report was launched at the 15th IRENA Assembly in Abu Dhabi.

The Eastern Africa Regional Model Analysis & Planning Support Programme is a technical capacity-building initiative led by IRENA in partnership with the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP), with contributions from the IAEA, African Union Development Agency- NEPAD, World Bank, and GET.transform. Launched in 2024, the programme supports governments and utilities from EAPP member countries in strengthening their long-term energy planning capabilities through a structured training series on power system modelling and scenario development.

The programme targets 13 EAPP countries: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It provides a combination of regional in-person and virtual workshops, e-learning modules, and country-specific modelling support, with more than 50 national experts participating to date. The training focuses on developing practical skills using the IAEA Model for Analysis for Energy Demand (MAED) and IRENA SPLAT-MESSAGE modelling frameworks and aims to support the integration of national modelling work into a broader regional context.

The initiative is designed in close coordination with the African Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP), led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD). IRENA contributes to the CMP as a modelling partner, ensuring that regional modelling efforts in Eastern Africa are harmonized with broader continental planning objectives.

The first phase of the EAPP programme culminated in a series of six regional training workshops, held across Eastern Africa territories starting in September 2024. Building on this momentum, a second phase of the programme to begin in mid-2026, with a focus on developing a consolidated regional planning study. This study is expected to contribute to an updated Eastern Africa Power Pool masterplan.

For more information and related workshop materials, please see:

Regional trainings are typically based on IRENA’s System Planning Tool (SPLAT) model, which is regularly updated for Africa’s five regional power pools.

In addition to regional workshops for capacity building, IRENA also conducts regional planning workshops focusing on integration of high VRE shares. Learn more about these workshops under AVRIL project.

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Planning and prospects for renewable power: West Africa

Low-cost renewable energy, especially from solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, has become an increasingly important part of West Africa’s electricity supply. This report outlines three broad scenarios for the growth of renewables in the region’s power systems, particularly in relation to key national and regional targets.

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